1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to assembly line dunnage racks, and more particularly to a configurable and adjustable apparatus for transporting vehicle parts and assemblies from a part or sub-assembly supplier to an intermediate or final vehicle factory assembly line without damage to the parts during shipment.
2. Background
The assembly line manufacturing system employed for the production of personal, recreational and commercial vehicles, requires the continuous delivery of large quantities of undamaged parts and sub-assemblies from suppliers to the factory worker on the assembly line. For convenience and efficiency, large, generally rectangular box-shaped racks have been developed which are customized to carry a plurality of finished parts or subassemblies, for example, vehicle doors, tires, wire harnesses, dashboards, drive train components and the like, from the supplier to an assembly line worker responsible for installing the particular part on the vehicle. A single rack is typically loaded with a plurality of identical parts and is usually delivered right to an individual worker at the proper location on the factory assembly line. The parts are restrained in the racks during transit with various types of support hardware such as protective foam inserts and associated hardware commonly referred to as dunnage. Despite the long use and wide spread acceptance of many types of customized dunnage racks, many shortcomings persist and there is an absence from the art of many desirable characteristics and needed capabilities.
One type of a generally box-like dunnage rack known to the art is customized for shipment of a plurality of a particular part or sub-assembly from a supplier to a factory assembly line. Such a rack is capable of protecting parts during shipment and incorporates expensive and complicated locking mechanisms for securing and protecting the parts. However, this rack cannot be cost effectively reconfigured for use with different types of dunnage and parts. This kind of rack is especially incapable of accommodating the annually changing dimensions and configurations of redesigned parts and sub-assemblies associated with model year vehicle changes. Accordingly, this type of rack is usually scrapped, causing significant material waste, after only being used for shipments of a single model year part. Thus, manufacturers and suppliers typically must incur considerable annual costs to design, test and fabricate new dunnage racks which are compatible for use with the parts and sub-assemblies associated with the new model year vehicles. Because of the high-demand created for new dunnage racks every year, long-lead times are usually associated with such fabrication efforts.
What is needed is a cost effective apparatus for efficiently transporting parts to a factory assembly line without damage and which can be fabricated with reduced costs, waste and minimized lead-time. The apparatus and hardware involved should be simple and straightforward, and little effort should be required on the part of the dunnage rack manufacturer, parts supplier or vehicle manufacturer to recondition, reconfigure and reuse the dunnage rack. Ideally, the dunnage rack should incorporate a system capable of use with various vehicle parts and sub-assemblies across successive vehicle model years which will eliminate the need for fabrication of customized racks for the majority of part shipping requirements.
The present invention provides an apparatus for shipping parts without damage during transit which minimizes costs, material waste and lead-time for fabrication and reconfiguration for reuse with different parts for the same and successive vehicle model years. The invention provides a dunnage rack which is easily transported from a supplier to a factory assembly line worker and which is easily both refitted with replacement dunnage and adjustable, for example, in height and length such that the rack is quickly and cost-effectively reconfigurable. Similarly, the present invention also provides a dunnage rack system which is modular in design so as to accommodate a nearly unlimited range of part and sub-assembly dimensions and configurations without the need for the customized design and fabrication of a unique rack for every type of part for each successive vehicle model year.
The present invention preferably includes an adjustable, reusable, reconfigurable and durable dunnage rack which includes a base, a pair of upstanding adjustably spaced apart opposite front and rear walls detachably connected to the base. Each wall includes a dunnage support assembly attached to respective inner surfaces and a fastening assembly for releasably securing the walls to the base after adjustment, and an upright side wall connected to the base and the walls and extending between the front and rear walls and also including a dunnage support assembly attached to an inside racing surface.
The invention also preferably includes a transportation assembly having a plurality of wheels and forklift receptacles attached on the underside of the base, a pivotable forward projecting trailer tongue with a hitch ring and connected to the front end of the base or the exterior of the wall and a hitch assembly formed on the rear end of the base or the exterior of the rear wall. The respective front and rear walls are each also formed with a plurality of vertical posts disposed at opposite respective edges and with each post having an upwardly projecting rack stacking pin at its upper extremity and a downwardly facing stacking receptacle at its lower extremity. A plurality of fastening assemblies releasably secures the front and rear walls to the respective ends of the base. At least one upright side wall, formed with a length approximately equal to a predetermined distance between the front and rear walls, is secured at its lower edge to the base and extends between and is detachably connected at its opposite ends to the front and rear walls.
Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the features of the present invention.